Comments

• 

  Anthony White November 28, 2012 at 10:17am

  Thanks, I also couldn't connect to the GIT library to get the source... can you post .zip files like this on occasion until whatever issue some of us seem to be having is resolved? Seems like the pace of activity is picking up!

  Does this 2.3 alpha fix the heading in the Mission Planner not updating without GPS lock?

  I am developing a differential thrust catamaran project using an APM2.5 and the ArduRover code base - if anyone can point me in the right direction on the best place to modify the steering controller to account for differential thrust (instead of rudder and overall throttle) I'd appreciate it - currently I am considering using a secondary Arduino Uno between the APM2.5 and the motor controllers to parse the throttle and rudder commands to differential thrust (which is easy) - however this does not seem like the most elegant solution. 

  Needless to say, I am not using LITE

  I look forward to seeing this group continue to develop, and am more than willing to provide assistance to anyone in more mechanical and overall system integration issues, as my programming and electrical background is lacking in comparison.
• 

  KM6VV November 28, 2012 at 10:10am

  @Thomas,

  Thanks, I couldn't get git to work, even after downloading a program. 

  @Andrew,

  Not using LITE, and I'm still trying to get the mechanicals of my 6WD 'bot finished.  So many little parts!  

  I've fired up APM2, but I couldn't see any servo action on steering.  How can one simulate "on the bench"?  You mentioned SITL, is that the solution? 

  Alan
• Developer

  Linus November 28, 2012 at 4:41am

  Hi Tridge,
  
  I use the Lite option on one of my two Rover but if I'm the only one you can remove it anyway because I'm going to change my setup in the future.
  
  I liked the Lite option really because it makes possible to go without a IMU board and thought that probably more unused bare apm's  are laying around than IMU-boards.
  
  Thank you for your work! great news about the SITL and autotest for the rover.
  
  Cant wait to go out for testing the recent changes. coming weekend should be possible i think.

   

  Regards,
  

  Linus
  
• Admin

  Thomas J Coyle III November 28, 2012 at 4:08am

  Hi Tridge,

  Thanks for the update. Much appreciated by all of the members.

  As for myself, I am not using the LITE version of the ArduRover code.

  Please keep up the good work and don't hesitate to ask for any kind of support to help make you efforts easier.

  Regards,

  TCIII
• Developer

  Andrew Tridgell November 28, 2012 at 3:56am

  Hi Everyone,

  I'd like to know if anyone is using the "LITE" option in ArduRover. The LITE option is meant to allow you to use a bare APM1 board without an Oilpan sensor board, with only a GPS attached. I'm thinking of removing support for it as its makes the code a lot more awkward, but I can try to keep it if its being used.

  In other news, ArduRover now works with SITL (software in the loop simulation), and I've written a simple python rover simulator, allowing ArduRover to now be automatically tested in the APM autotest system. That will make it much less likely that the rover code will break due to a library or other change, as every commit will be automatically tested.

  The test currently is quite simple:

  •  it drives manually in a rough square
  •  then it does a rectangular auto mission
  •  then it does an RTL

  I hope to expand the testing as I get time.

  Cheers, Tridge
• Rud Merriam November 27, 2012 at 10:30pm

  HI All,

  Just joined. I have a project underway for an autonomous rover - possibly a swarm. It needs to look in a park like area for interesting objects. I'll have questions in another message.

  @Evaristo - I am in The Woodlands.

  Rud
• 100KM

  u4eake November 24, 2012 at 5:26am

  Nice to see the rover code taking off again :-)

  Looks like I might have to order another apm2.5 clone to put it on my rover again.  It's too much of a drag to always swap it from my plane to the rover and the plane is working awesome now, so I don't wanna change it too much.

  Last week I had my drone make a video of myself, while I was driving my dirtbike through the fields.  
• Admin

  Thomas J Coyle III November 22, 2012 at 4:23pm

  @Andrew,
  Please take a look at the following posts, by u4eake concerning errors in the ArduRover code, in the ArduRover discussion:
  http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/apmrover-1280-a-fun-ugv-pro...
  http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/apmrover-1280-a-fun-ugv-pro...
  http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/apmrover-1280-a-fun-ugv-pro...
  Regards,
  TCIII
• Developer

  Andrew Tridgell November 22, 2012 at 12:49pm

  HI everyone. I started hacking on the rover code when a local school had problems running the current code. It turned out that some changes in the AHRS layer had caused a major problem with heading correction in the rover code, resulting in it not using either the compass or the GPS for heading - relying solely on the gyro.

  My next aim is to remove a lot of the cruft in the code left over from the original port from ArduPlane. I've already removed a fair bit of the altitude control code (which doesn't make a lot of sense on a rover!) and plan to continue removing plane specific code to simplify the code base. I'd also like to rename internal variables and structures to be more appropriate for a rover.

  I'd also like to get the rover code into the APM autotest, so we will get a warning in the future when something breaks. I have it building now in SITL, but still need to write a little python rover sim to make it useful.

  This will all take time as I have a lot of other projects as well, but I'll post in this forum when I've made some more progress.

  Cheers, Tridge
• 

  Flavio Taborelli November 22, 2012 at 12:27pm

  I'm very happy to see more "action" on ArduRover.

  As it is the start point of my ArduBoat project,  May I suggest to code the new one for both ? This will be very easy because they share 99% of the code.

   

  This is my daily update on ArduBoat